Experimental Life
by Min-kat
Summary: AU fiction. Prozan experimented on Zoids, but what if he experimented on Humans aswell? UPDATE chapter 3
1. Prologue Awakening

Set in the 'Chaotic Century' series.  
  
Disclaimer: No, unfortunately for me, I do not own 'Zoids' or anything remotely related to the show. Though, I do own my OC that appears in the fic.  
  
~Thoughts~  
  
"Speech"  
  
On with the story...  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
"Experimentation on his own son, how twisted can you-"  
  
"Shhh! You want us to get fired! Keep your personal feelings to yourself!"  
  
~Voices?... that's strange... normally all my senses pick up are the low, steady humming of the machines...~  
  
"So your OK with all this? I mean, experimenting on Zoids I don't mind, but a Human being?"  
  
"No, I am not OK with this. Unlike you however, I have a family to feed. It's just a job to me, another experiment to watch over"  
  
~Another experiment?... I hope they're not talking about me... Man, my neck hurts...~  
  
"Oh my god! did you see that! It moved!"  
  
~It?... just a moment ago I was a Human Being...~  
  
"Now you're just getting paranoid"  
  
~What's with all this pain... Why can't I go back to sleep... so cold... stupid headache...~  
  
"There! It just moved again!!"  
  
"Where? It did not..."  
  
"Did so! Look!" The young scientist stood from his seat in front of the many glowing monitors and strode cautiously towards the large, steal re-enforced door the lead to the holding chamber. Punching in the access code, he waited eagerly for the doorway to clear. Walking briskly up to the large, upright cylinder in which the 'experiment' was held, he leaned in close to the clouded tube and tapped it twice with the back of his hand.  
  
~What the-!~  
  
Jumping in fright, the young man leapt back from the tube as the occupant's body twitched. Looking back towards the older man still seated in the monitoring room, he gestured as if saying 'See? told you so!'  
  
The older man wasn't watching the younger one though. He was busy frantically typing away on one of the many keyboards in the room, occasionally looking up towards the tubes occupant. Noticing that he had proved his point, the younger scientist began to walk from the room, but was stopped suddenly by a distinct tapping sound coming from behind him. Freezing in mid-step, the young scientist turned around and looked towards the tube.  
  
~Ow! man those lights are bright... what's with all the noise.. oh, hello there...~  
  
What he saw was two, glowing green eyes piercing through the dull, cloudy fluids of the tube. The eyes held no sign of emotion, nor comprehension of what was going on. They were simply staring, as if lifeless, at the now cowering young man.  
  
"Oh My God!!!" screaming at the top of his lungs, the young scientist fell backwards onto his behind and began scuttling frantically backwards towards the doorway. He watched in horror as the distinct shape of the experiments already raised hand tapped on the glass again, but this time, it came to rest palm down on the glass. For the first time in the young scientist's time of working at the hidden Lab, he saw how pale the occupant's skin was. Not that it surprised him much. From what he'd heard, the occupant hadn't seen the light of the sun since it was 4 years old.  
  
"Gary!" a loud voice came over the speaker in the holding chamber, "Gary, get yourself out of there! I'm locking the room down!"  
  
The warning fell on deaf ears. The young scientist, known as Gary, was frozen in terror, eyes transfixed on the glowing green orbs. The green orbs travelled down from Gary's own two eyes to its hand. Pushing slightly, it looked as if the occupant was testing the glass's strength. Still, Gary found he could not move.  
  
"Gary you idiot! Get Out!!" The speaker bleared again.  
  
~Huh?... this doesn't feel all that thick... I have to get away from the pain...~  
  
After a slight pause, the occupant pushed once again and Gary saw the fine lines of the cracks that were now forming, travel in all directions along the cylinder. Eyes widening, it finally dawned on Gary what was happening. Though, this realisation came to late, with one more push, everything seemed to go into slow motion. He watched as the glass seemed to fall away from the pale palm, closely followed by the cloudy liquid. There was a loud rumbling noise as Gary snapped his head around to find the large doors closing shut behind him. Turning back, he was met with the freezing cold wetness of the clouded liquid. After the initial wave of cold, he looked up towards the tube to find the occupant in plain view.  
  
Hanging limply from the multiple tubes and wires that protruded from it's body, it appeared to be a young boy around the age of 16 or 17. He was thin, and from the lack of muscle growth and the sickly pale white colour of his skin, it was obvious he was malnourished. Long silvery strands of hair fell just below his pale waistline, most of it pulled back into a tight braid. Garry's eyes followed the boy's waistline to find something that definitely was not natural. Protruding from the boy's coxic bone, extending his spine, was a 4-foot long, metallic structure. This structure was swaying, rhythmically from side to side. To Gary, other than the swaying, it seemed to be dead.  
  
Getting to his feet slowly, Gary looked towards the viewing window of the monitoring room. The older scientist was looking on in awe at the boy. Sighing to himself, he walked towards the large doors and typed in the access code so he could get out. He'd had enough excitement for one day and he wanted to get home, away from this twisted experiment. Smiling at the reassuring humming sound of the doors opening he made to walk through, but yet again, a noise stopped him.  
  
Turning once again, he was met with the awful sight of the boy's body convulsing. The noise was coming from the multiple wires snapping and the tubes straining from their fixture at the top of the now shattered glass tube. The metal structure, which Gary had come to the conclusion that it was a makeshift 'tail', was now trashing around behind the boy, knocking and breaking any structure in it's path. Soon the majority of the wires were snapped, and the tubes, not being as strong or fixed as the wires, gave way. The body of the boy fell from the pedestal of the cylinder to the cold, metallic floor with a sickening 'Thud'. It lay there, not moving. Even the tail had come to rest, curled around one of the boy's pale legs.  
  
Against his better judgment, Gary advanced cautiously towards the boy....  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
Authors note: Cliffhanger, what evil things they are. Sorry about the lack of Van and other Zoid characters, but I thought I'd better get my OC introduced first. Though, you can't really count this as introduced... ah well, anybody guessed who's son he is?  
  
Constructive comments are welcome, any suggestions on how to better my writing skills or plot suggestions. Also, Flames are welcome too. I will use them to cook my marsh-mellows while I write more =) Thankyou for reading. More to come soon. 


	2. Realisation

Disclaimer: Still, nothing has changed. I don't own Zoids or anything remotely related. Though, I do like to claim copyright on my OC... whom I have yet to think up a name...  
  
Maelgwyn: You like Marshmellows too, huh? They are very addictive :3 thank you for the encouraging words.  
  
plink: *Looks around cautiously* you said you were watching me... I'm sorry if you've read a fic like this before, but I assure you, I have not copied this. It was a spur of the moment thought after watching too many Zoid videos, and No, It will not be a 'Prozen-bastardisation' story. I will try my best to keep him as humane as possible. You know of 'X-men'? Just think of it like a Mystique/Kurt type parent relationship. He cares.. but he doesn't let it be shown... oops... I shouldn't have said that... oh well, keep reading and you'll see what I mean.  
  
"Speech"  
  
~thoughts~  
  
On with the chapter...  
  
_ _ _ _   
  
*~ Against his better judgment, Gary advanced cautiously towards the boy...  
  
"This does not look good.." The older scientist, Lawrence, finally came to a grim conclusion. He would have to contact Lord Prozan. Hesitantly, Lawrence picked up the receiver and dialed.  
  
"Yes?" A rather gruff voice answered, startling the older man.  
  
"Uh- Yes, I need to speak with Lord Prozan, it's an emergency!" Trying to stay as calm and collected as possible, Lawrence physically shook as he watched the younger Gary approach the boy's twisted 'corpse'.  
  
"Wouldn't we all...What is the nature of your request?"  
  
"What? This is an emergency! Put him on now!" Averting his eyes, he glared at the receiver.  
  
"Ease up old timer! I can't just put you through with no reason, you know?"  
  
"The emergency is the reason you idiot! The 'Hybrid' experiment has ruptured!"  
  
"H-hybrid? Your not serious...Oh shit..." the voice paused for a moment and Lawrence could hear the mumbling voices from the other end, "No need to transfer, I'll tell him personally-" With that, the line went dead and Lawrence lowered the handset. Turning back, he saw that Gary had reached the body...  
  
_ _ _ _  
  
~It has to be dead...~ Gary thought as he crawled closer to the boy, ~the machines were its lifeline..~ Just to assure him, Gary looked up to the mainframe, no wires were connected anymore.   
  
~Yep... he's dead...~ He mentally nodded as he reached the boy's side and leaned over to look closer. The airway tube was still lodged in his throat.   
  
~He could've just stopped breathing... Should I take it out..? no..~ Hesitantly, he placed a hand on the port in the back of the boy's neck instead (AN: remotely like the ones in the 'Matrix'). Instantly, he recoiled his hand as if he'd been electrocuted.   
  
~He's so cold!~ Forgetting about the port, he reached over for the tubing and slowly tilted the boy's head backwards. With his right hand, he slowly pulled the tubing back, watching it slide easily along the others throat. Once removed, the boy's jaw lolled open. ~Poor kid... no one deserves this..~ Gary felt pity overwhelm him as he began to remove all the remaining wires and tubing.   
  
Last of all, he came back to the neck-port, ~that was his lifeline..~ reaching forward again, he grabbed the thick, insulated wire and twisted.  
  
Nothing happened, it didn't even budge.   
  
~Great...~ Grasping it with both hands, he tried again.  
  
Again, nothing.   
  
"Damn-it!" Gary cussed out aloud. Hearing a 'Clink' sound, the thought it had given way. Looking hopeful towards it, he saw it hadn't moved. "Then what th-!" He was cut off roughly by something cold and hard wrapping around his throat. Gasping for air, Gary dropped the wire and clung vainly at the offending structure. It was slowly getting tighter. "Nghh.." he moaned, trying desperately to draw air into his starving lungs.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"GARY!" the familiar voice of Lawrence boomed over the speakers. He couldn't believe his eyes. One minute the boy was dead, the next that 'tail' thing had flung up and coiled itself around Gary's throat. Helpless to act, Lawrence mumbled "Christ Prozan, Hurry it up!"  
  
"Hurry what up exactly, Mr. Kodenski?"  
  
Lawrence swung around to find Lord Prozan himself, along with a number of guards, standing in the laboratory doorway. "Lord Prozan!" he nodded his head in acknowledgment and swung back around to the monitors and window. Gary was now slumping over his knees, the 'tail' still firmly in place around his neck.  
  
"Quite a temper the boys has..." Prozan spoke calmly and soft as he approached the window, viewing the two occupants with a slight smirk, "Your colleague?" he motioned towards the now still figure keeling over beside the boy.  
  
"Y-yes my lord, W-we have to help him!" Lawrence was in a panic, his voice cracking slightly.  
  
"He wont kill him..." Prozan spoke again,  
  
"W-what?!" Lawrence turned to the taller man,  
  
"He is far to much like his mother, though, in his current confused state..." Prozan trailed off slightly, averting his eyes from the scene before him to rest on the older scientist, "I wouldn't put it past him."  
  
"Please Sir! You must help him!" Lawrence was practically begging. Showing no concern at all for the older mans request, Prozan simply turned back to the window, "Sir!!"  
  
"Shut it!" one of the guards approached Lawrence. Meekly, Lawrence slumped down in his seat, cradling his face in his hands.  
  
_ _ _ _ _   
  
Gary was vaguely aware of his surroundings. A dull ache in his chest told him that his heart was failing. Loosing all sense of vertigo, he did not realize he was being lifted from the ground, nor did he feel the impact of the wall. Suddenly, his lungs were flooded with air. His head was overwhelmed with a sense of lightness, he was floating on air, or so he thought. Opening his eyes slightly, he saw the boy... moving.  
  
_ _ _ _ _  
  
He was straining to raise himself from the cold, hard floor. He knew he had to get out of this place, that this place was bad. It has caused him nothing but pain...  
  
Raising an arm, he tried to lift himself. Still being covered in that sticky liquid, his hand found no ground and slid out from under him, sending back down to the hard floor. This impact dislodged the mucus buildup in his throat and he found himself stuck in a violent coughing fit. His fragile body convulsed and rocked with every gasp.  
  
Finally able to draw air into his lungs, the boys tried once more to get up. Pulling both arms underneath himself, he pushed downwards and lifted his upper body. The fluid dripped and pooled around where he once lay as he strained to bend his legs to get them to sit comfortably underneath him. Once sitting, he opened his eyes. His head exploded in pain and the light seemed to pierce through his temple and stab at his brain. Gritting his teeth, he forced he eyes to focus.  
  
Looking around, he noticed the guy that had rudely tapped on his glass only moments ago. ~He's watching me..~ he noticed the others dazed eyes, ~or is he dead...did I kill him?~ A sudden rush of panic flooded over him, making him scramble backwards, his 'tail' dragging along the floor with him. His back hit another cold, hard surface, but he continued to try and get away from the others prone body, ~Please don't let him be dead...~ Gathering up his courage, he looked back and sighed with relief as he saw the steady rise and fall of the others chest. Turning slightly, he finally saw what had been his home. A rather damaged looking piece of machinery,   
  
~Probably my fault it's like that..~ Sitting forward slightly, he turned his head to see what he had hit. A first he saw metal, but looking higher, he noticed glass, ~A window ?~ Standing up on unsteady legs, he leaned against the glass for support. He was greeted with a number of faces, looking back at him with the same amount of interest.  
  
An old man whom had tears running freely from his eyes was staring at him, in awe or in fear, he couldn't tell. There were a number of other men in there as well. They were dressed in some sort of uniform, they looked shocked more than anything. Tilting his head slightly, another man came into view. This man was very close to the window so he was easy to see. Tall, well-dressed and long, silvery hair that went well past his shoulders. He had a 'reagle' look to him, but why did he seem so damn familiar. Looking towards his face, their eyes locked briefly and realization dawned on the boy like a blow to the head. Stumbling backwards in fright, the boy found himself on the floor once more, ~No way!~ Looking up once more, he found the man's expression to be a mixture of both concern and sadness.   
  
Finding his voice for the first time in many years, the young boy managed to rasp out one word,  
  
"Father..."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
AN: What a pathetic attempt at drama/action, don't you agree? Oh well, I haven't written for many years, so I may seem a little rusty. Still, I'm happy with the way this is forming. Again, my apologies for the lack of Van & Co. They will appear soon, I promise.  
  
A short notice to warn readers that there may be long breaks between chapters as I am a Uni student and I find it hard to find a big enough time space to get a chapter typed up, proof read, & uploaded. If you would like to be notified of updates, simply leave a note in your reviews, I'm all too happy to e-mail you.  
  
Please review, or flame. Whichever you prefer... X3 


	3. Memories

Disclaimer: You know the drill... I don't own anything... *sniffles*  
  
Plink: Glad to see you've stuck around for the second Chapter. TAFE student, huh? Sounds fun... Evil schooling... Sorry about the short chapter ^^; My RSI was acting up and the Library was about to close up on me. This one should be longer & Thankyou for the encouraging words =3  
  
TheLittleRaven: Cute name ^^ you're right, I haven't copied this. I detest copiers *growls at them all* j00 are evil! Anyway... Hope you enjoy!  
  
"Speech"  
  
~Thoughts~  
  
On with the chapter...  
  
~*~  
  
"Father..."  
  
As if on queue, the slide doors behind the soldiers opened and a young women carrying a case walked in, looking rather out of breath, "S-so sorry...Lord P-Prozen" she panted.  
  
Prozen turned to meet the young women's gaze, "About time, Dr. Silco"  
  
"I really am sorry, Sir" she bowed slightly, looking humbled compared to the much taller man standing in front of her.  
  
"I don't want to here your excuses, Dr." Prozen's brow furrowed as she looked up once more, "What are you waiting for?"  
  
Dr. Silco looked a little confused at this statement. Prozen sighed, and raised his hand in the direction of the fallen boy in the next room,  
  
"Your patient is in there"  
  
The Doctor looked in that direction, before nodding solemnly and walking over to the large, metallic door that was partway open. Squeezing her petite body through the gap, and picking up her case once more. She looked to the far wall, where a young man sat, rubbing his head, mumbling something.   
  
~That can't be it, he works here~ she thought.  
  
Gary looked up and immediately recognised the woman, "It's alright, Sally. I'm OK" He rubbed his aching neck, "Your supposed to check on the boy" he pointed to a young boy sitting in the middle of the room. Sally followed his gaze and nodded. She walked slowly over to the young boy, who seemed oblivious to her presence. Taking in the general appearance of this person, she knew he might be a little unstable. His thin arms were wrapped around his legs, holding he chest against them for comfort. His head was resting on the top of his knees, face hidden by his long, silver hair, which had partially come lose from the braid. What caught her eyes though was the long, metallic tail that was tapping gently on the ground beside him. Smiling kindly she approached the lithe figure bending down, as if not to look as threatening.  
  
"Hello there, young one.." the spoke softly and reassuringly.   
  
As if whipped, the boy's head shot up and shocked bright green eyes took in the appearance of the offending voice. Once again, the Doctor smiled kindly.   
  
~It's a girl...~ he thought as he looked over the small women. She had a very petite figure with rather peachy skin. A few freckles too if he wasn't mistaken. Shoulder length, radiant red hair framed kindly looking sky blue eyes. Her hair was very curly and it looked as if she'd attempted to tie it in a small bun, but some stray ringlets hung around her round face. ~She looks harmless...~ His posture seemed to relax a little at this conclusion.  
  
"That's right, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm a Doctor" she shuffled forward a little more and was relieved to see that the boy made no move to retreat. Finally she got close enough to examine the young boy properly. She sat her case down and opened it, digging around inside for something. The boy merely watched, waiting to see what she pulled out. It was a Stethoscope, "Are you hurting anywhere?"  
  
The boy looked up at her for a moment, before looking down at the floor.  
  
"It's OK, I can help, honest. Just point to where it hurts"  
  
He looked up at her and raised his hand to his throat, which happened to feel as if it was currently on fire. Then his hand lowered to his chest.  
  
"Your heart?" She looked a little shocked until he began to shake his head. He took a deep breath in as if to emphasize the point it was his lungs, not his heart. When he breathed out, she heard a low rasp sound coming from deep inside.  
  
"Oh, well, you haven't used your throat or your lungs on your own for quite sometime now, have you?" She moved a little closer to place the stethoscope end on his back, to listen. As soon as the cold cup touched his back, he tensed and Dr. Silco squeaked as she saw the tail wrap around his legs, rather quickly.  
  
"I'm sorry, Hun. I should've warned you this would be a little cold" She chuckled before taking it from his back and rubbing it in her small hands for a moment, then placed it back in the same spot. He seemed relieved that it wasn't ice cold like the last attempt, "Now" she stated quietly, "Take another deep breath for me"  
  
Prozen watched from the control room. Not really paying any attention to the small women. His eyes rested intently on the young boy. Watching his every movement. ~If only your mother could see you now...~ His mind lingered on that thought for a moment, before it dove back into his memories. Memories of his son...  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
"Daddy?" The small figure of a young child ran up behind the taller man and clung possessively to his long cloak. Prozen looked down upon the boy, tears threatening to spill from his delicate, deep crimson eyes. He was met with vibrant green, partially hidden by the boys long silver fringe, falling over his face from a long sprint he had from his chambers.  
  
"Daddy, Tell me it isn't true! The nurse said... S-she said that..." but he was unable to finish his sentence, tears running freely from his innocent eyes. Prozens' face fell, his usual superior expression melting away to pure concern for the tearful boy. Bending down, he gently lifted the much smaller person from the floor and held him close. Raising one hand to brush away the stray strands of silver from his tear stricken face. The boy sniffled before looking up to meet his fathers' saddened gaze.  
  
"I'm sorry, Sethro..." With that statement, Prozen averted his eyes from his sons'; he couldn't bring himself to look into the pure innocence of those emerald orbs.   
  
"Mommy..." fell from the boys' lips, barely a whisper, before he buried his face into his father's broad shoulders, loosing himself in the softness of the identical silver hair. Tears began to fall from the mans eyes, it pained him deeply to see his son in such a state.   
  
Pulling the boy's body closer to his own, he glanced through the doorway he was currently standing out of. His eyes fell upon the prone, unmoving figure of a very young woman. Long mid-night black strands fell upon the lush pillows and bedding surrounding her. Upon her pale face, rosy lips lay partially open, but no breath pass by them, her chest lay still. Crimson eyes travelled to her face. ~So delicate~ he thought. Once, brilliant emerald eyes now forever hidden by closed lids. This feature alone reminded him of the small form, sobbing in his arms. His hand travelled gently over the boys back. A low hush sound escaped from the mans lips, as he began to rock the boy, his body swaying rhythmically. The young boy's body shuddered with every breath. It was at this time, that the Prozen made up his mind. Slowly, he pulled the door shut and walked away.   
  
~*End Flashback*~  
  
Prozen looked over his now, much older son. The boy looked Ill, there was no escaping it. ~What if the experiment went wrong? What if he can't remember? What if-~ he was snapped out of his thoughts' by Dr. Silco tapping him gently on the shoulder,  
  
"Sir? He's asking for you.."  
  
Prozen simply nodded before he walked over to the large doorway, "Mr. Kodenski?" He looked back to the older scientist, whom was currently checking over Gary.   
  
"I'm OK, honestly" The younger scientist stated. Lawrence sighed with relief before he looked to Prozen,   
  
"Yes sir?"  
  
"Please go check on the Organoid..." he stated before he disappeared behind the door. Lawrence stood there for a moment before he looked towards Gary. Gary nodded and the both jogged from the room.  
  
Satisfied, Prozen walked slowly towards his son, whom still sat on the floor in much the same position as before. As he reached the boys side, he looked down, a little disappointed to see that the boy wasn't even acknowledging his presence,  
  
"Sethro..." he trailed off slightly, it felt strange to use such a long forgotten name. His son still did not move. Prozen sighed, ~What is wrong with him? ~ "Are you going to answer me or not?" he demanded. The boy still did not move. Prozen turned to leave,  
  
"How long has it been?"  
  
He froze, "Pardon?" Prozen turned back to meet with his son's emerald gaze,  
  
"I asked how long it has been..." his voice was still a little raspy. Prozen stood there for a moment, taking in his son's face. It looked much like his own now, the only difference being the lack of markings and... his eyes. They seemed to look older than their time, like they had a hidden wisdom behind them.   
  
~Exactly like Alea's... Far to much like his mother~ Prozen concluded before he spoke, "Going on 13 years now..."  
  
Sethro seemed satisfied with the answer, though he did not leave his fathers gaze.   
  
~He's looking for something...~ Prozen thought,  
  
"So much for a little while..." Sethro stated as he attempted to stand, but due to his tail being wrapped around his legs, which made the move impossible. So he settled for crossing his arms in front of his chest instead.  
  
"What are you talking ab-" then it dawned on Prozen, ~I only said he'd be asleep for a little while...~  
  
~*Another Flashback*~  
  
Later the same night of Alea, Prozen's wife and Sethro's mothers passing....  
  
"But Daddy, Mommy said I wasn't allowed down here" Sethro looked up at his father with a questioning gaze, as he trotted along to keep up with his fathers long stride.  
  
"It's alright, I don't think she would mind, just this once..." he trailed off at the thought of his lost wife,  
  
"Only one time?" the young one asked,  
  
"Yes Sethro, you'll only be here one time" He smiled reassuringly at the boy. This seemed to satisfy the younger ones curiosity as he grinned widely and went barrelling down the long, brightly lit corridor. Skidding in his socks only to travel another few feet, sliding and giggling at the same time. A genuine smile crossed Prozens' face; it was so good to see his son happy, even if it is only for a little while.  
  
They finally reached the chamber where the status pod lay, prepared for the subject. Sethro noticed another man waiting there, attaching some tube things to the outside of the pod. The man turned and smiled at him,  
  
"You must be Sethro"  
  
Sethro smiled back and looked the man's badge, "Your name is Lawrence Ko-Kodenski?" he struggled slightly with the strange surname,  
  
"That's right" Lawrence looked up at Prozen, "Ready Sir?"  
  
Prozen paused for a moment, watching his son examine the pod, ~Why must they be so innocent...Am I doing the right thing? Alea would disagree...~ He shook his head, ~she's gone now...~ "Yes, he's ready" He walked over to his son, "What do you think?"  
  
Sethro turned to his father, his big green eyes shining, "It looks cool! What's it for?"  
  
"It's yours"  
  
"Really??" his face brightened, like a child with a new toy.  
  
"Yes Sethro..." Prozen picked up his son and carried him to a long, metallic table where some instruments lay, "just lay down here for a moment.."  
  
Sethro did what he was told and laid there while both his father and Lawrence removed all his clothing, except for the 'special' shorts his father made him put on before they came down. Lawrence placed a mask over the boys' mouth and nose and went to turn on the gas, but Prozen stopped him. Lawrence backed away as Prozen lent over the boy.  
  
"You'll be going to sleep for a little while..."  
  
"Why?" Sethro mumbled from beneath the mask,  
  
"For me-!" was all the Prozen could say, he closed his eyes, those annoying tears threatening to spill once more,  
  
"Okay..."  
  
"What?" He looked down upon his son again, "What did you say?"  
  
"If it's for you Daddy, it's Okay" The small boy smiled. Prozen couldn't help but smile, a sad smile.   
  
~He has absolutely no idea what is going to happen...~ "Thank-you Sethro..." Prozen moved to turn on the gas,  
  
"Love you..." Sethro whispered as he began to fall into darkness, his eyes slowly glazing over. Prozen was taken aback slightly at his show of emotion. He looked down to meet his son's gaze,  
  
"Love you too..." he whispered gently as he placed his hand onto the boys eyelids, sliding the shut...  
  
What almost broke Prozen's heart that night, was walking away from that pod. Seeing his four-year-old son's prone form, with all those wires and tubes. Plus the artificial 'tail' that was added...  
  
~I wonder if I've done the right thing...~  
  
~*End of Flashback*~  
  
Prozen sighed, "You're right, I did say that..."  
  
Sethro looked up, but looked away again, "Are you going to help me up or what?" was more of a statement reather than a request.  
  
Prozen paused again. He looked to the guards, whom weren't paying attention. They were happily chatting to each other. Prozen looked back to his son, whom was now glaring at him. He had to repress a chuckle. Sethro's eyes weren't meant to frown or glare, they just look much to evil. Settling for a small smirk, Prozen extended his hand to his son. Sethro took his hand and gripped it tight as his father lifted him from the ground. Once upright, Sethro leaned on Prozen as he beant down to rearrange his troublesome tail. Now that it was behind him and out of the way, he looked back to his father. Prozen held the boys shoulders and steadied him as they walked from the chamber. Sethro stumbled a number of times, still getting used to the movement again.  
  
The soldiers' noticing the movment, stood to attention.  
  
"Dismissed and Do Not speak of this to anyone"  
  
"Yes Sir!" they all saluted before jogging from the room. Prozen noticed that the Dr. was also gone, ~Probably gone to make a report..~ he concluded as he continued to steady his son as they walked back up the long corridor.  
  
"Where are we going?" Sethro asked as he concentrated on his steps,  
  
"I will not have my son looking like some drowned rat," Prozen stated as the reached the security doors. He punched in the code and they walked out onto the lush carpet of the manor. Sethro wiggled his toes as he tryed to remember the last time he felt something this 'soft'. Prozen lead the boy down the hallway to his old chambers, "You will wash and dress. Then meet me in the dining hall" with that last statement, Prozen turned and strode off down another hall way, leaving Sethro outside the room.  
  
"Fine..." Sethro shrugged as he opened the door and walked in, closing it behind him, "Not even a 'I'm glad to see you, Son!' " Sethro mumbled sarcastically as he navigated his way to the bathroom, where he promptly discarded the aweful 'special' shorts. Turning on the taps and gently edging his aching body under the beautiful hot water. Sethro savoured every moment the water caressed down his body. As he began to wash, he was intregued by this tail of his. He found that it didn't have a mind of it's own and that if he concentrated, he could actually control it's movements. He smiled slightly.  
  
After washing his waist length hair, he got out of the shower, dried and found a robe to wear while he located some half decent clothes. When he opened the bathroom door, he found that he was not the only occupant of the room,  
  
"Who the hell are you?" He shouted, slightly alarmed.  
  
"Keep it down, I'm not going to hurt you" The young boy stated as he sat on the end of Sethro's large, four poster bed, "Lord Prozen asked me to check on you, just to make sure you haven't drowned yourself or anything" Violet eyes turned to meet emerald.  
  
"You still haven't answered my question..." Sethro stated, leaning on the doorway as he studied the other boy. He looked around Sethro's age, but Sethro seemed a little taller. Dressed in what looked like a dark, combat uniform. Black hair didn't quite reach his shoulders and seemed a little untamed. A red marking sat just beneath his right eye.  
  
"Hm, if you must know, it's Raven" ...  
  
~*~  
  
AN: Dum dum dum!! heh... So, Raven sqeezes his way into it now. How interesting... I hope I didn't make Prozen seem to OoC. I didn't want to make him look like a pompass-prick... everyone one has feelings, especially around death and family. Hope it was long anough... hell...around 2890 words!  
  
Please let me know how I am going. Enjoying it? Hating it? Why? R&R!  
  
P.S: I have concept-sketches of Sethro's character. If anyone is interested in seeing them, let me know. May even draw up some of the scenes from the story. Got a fave? Tell me and I'll draw it up for you.  
  
Happy Reading. 


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